A very personal and subjective view of Paris life for all of you who are curious of what's going on in France

Finistère has some of the most beautiful cliffs in France. Here the view from Pointe du Van

It was a magical evening thanks to the talent of very young musicians and the energy of Yves Petit de Voize. Brittany was warmer than ever and we had spent the day watching antique boats crossing from Brest to Douarnenez. The old Collégiale of Pont Croix, population 1 500, was packed with music lovers. And the Hermès quartet and French star violinist Renaud Capuçon, were excellent beyond words. My whole body is still trembling from recounting the evening.

Going to Versailles is always very exciting and very frustrating. This time was no exception and I am going to give you a tip so you don’t have the same misadventures I had. There are three reasons to go this summer : first Olafur Eliasson’s water projects, second the exhibition “Versailles and the American Independence” in the Galerie des Batailles, third, “De Gaulle at Trianon”.Read More

Once again, Fondation Cartier is showing a summer exhibition which is playful and gracious, contemporary and for all publics. It is devoted to animals and music and primarily to birds. « Le grand orchestre des animaux » exhibits artists from France, Africa, Japan, Brazil, Detroit and California. And ten films from the Cornell Lab of ornithology are extraordianry moments of pleasure. Do sit down and take the time to watch them properly.Read More

When fashion writer Natasha Fraser Cavassoni first mentioned its opening, she told me it was the meeting place for all the models and designers, and Natasha being the trendiest person I know in Paris, I believed her. But it still took me a little while to go and check La Belle Epoque, a lovely bistrot with a 1900 decor of tiled walls. And it has become my lunch place when I am near the Palais Royal.

After being vice president of Amis du Louvre for twenty years, Louis Antoine Prat, an art historian and drawings collector, has replaced Marc Fumaroli as President. He now reigns over 60 000 members of this active association, which raises 3 to 4 million euros every year for the collections. He has curated many exhibitions of Chassériau, Ingres and Poussin, and is one of the rare collectors, whose drawings have been exhibited everywhere including the US and Canada.Read More

On a recent golfing trip to Southern England, playing the unforgettable Rye and Royal St George’s courses, I discovered by chance Goodnestone Park gardens, three miles from our inn and unknown to the inn keeper ! It is “Sissinghurst without the crowds” as a garden critic puts it…

Visiting Musée Guimet is like traveling to Cambodia, China, Japan and India the same morning. It is a fabulous adventure of the mind and of the senses. And it is a five minute walk from place de l’Alma.

Kraken is a monster from the North with many (culinary) arms and… a restaurant

I met Laetitia Natali when she was a little girl refusing to play golf, then studying law at Assas university and refusing to become a lawyer. And later, blooming in the hard and demanding work of an apprentice chef. I had lunch at Hotel Vendôme where she was in charge of desserts and then at her restaurant in Pigalle, where she cooked everything. And now I am happy to let you know she has just opened, Kraken, the « it » restaurant in Arcachon with her partner Samuel Villa.Read More

“ As some of you already know, I have decided to resume what I was writing for Vogue and Point de Vue some years ago, but this time as a blog. I would like it to be like a morning phone call to my best friend, a very personal and subjective view of Paris life for all of you who are curious of what's going on in France. I now have readers on five continents, from the Philippines to Tokyo, Tasmania, Perth and Sydney. From Bogota to Rio de Janeiro, Mexico to California, New York, Washington and Canada. Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey, Moscow, India and most European countries. Thank you ! ”